"burnout"

[floridafwb1]

someone plz tell me i made the right choice by becoming a nursel. i am an lpn at a hospital and had a very stressful day.

3 total care pt's and 2 very demanding pt's with jp drains, dressings, the whole nine yards. i start the rn program in january and am questioning my career choice. i need some cheering up. i had a very bad day. do nurses really experience burnout? and being an rn means more

workload. how does anyone out there handle stress?

[Zana2]

I can tell you how I cope.

I'm sure you have got enough work experience to know what I am talking about, but do you remember being really stressed at a new job? Thinking OMG, I'm shattered? And then, as the time went by, you got more used to it, you realized that what used to absolutely kill any trace of neuron and stamina,is now routine?

I think it's got to do with the fact that although you don't realize it, you cramm an awful lot of information down, and that makes you tired. A time will come when you won't feel that shattered, because you know the deal, and the 'new' things will be alarm bells, you'll learn to organise and prioritise your work.

And another thing I've noticed 3 years into the RN program, something like medical absolutely kills any trace of will to live in me. 4 hours into the shift and i'm contemplating throwing in the towel. it's just not me, I don't like, I can't deal with it. My mentor was shoked to learn this, she said she would have never guessed, i seem to be such a caring and on the ball nurse. The truth isthat i hate it, it exhausts me. Can't do medical!

However, send me into a surgical ward, recovery, theatre, max-fax, and i can do stints of 12 hours straight and not need anything, I'm buzzing, I glow, and come back home and do a couple of hours reading on something that cropped up that day and i was unsure about.

So maybe where you are at the moment just isn't your cup of tea.

Chin up!